Marco Polo
by LittleBlackAngel
Summary: ONE SHOT! 'I am George.' Fred said, a third time. 'I know I’m not Fred.' He continued quietly. Fred is having issues dealing with being a twin. Enter Ginny and Hermione. COMPLETE!


Fred sat on George's bed. He took off the sweater with the big "F" on it off, and put on George's. He looked at the mirror at the end of the room. To himself, he looked like Fred, dressing up as George, sitting on George's bed. He clenched his fists. He didn't understand.

The door opened.  
"Hey, George!" Ron said.

"Hey, Ron."

"Have you seen the girls anywhere?" Ron asked.

"Lake." He said shortly.

"Thanks" Ron left.

Fred went to George's desk. He sat on George's chair. He wrote a million times, "I am George. I am George. I am George." He covered the front and back of 3 feet of parchment. When he finished, he studied his work. It looked like Fred's handwriting, trying to be George. They just didn't get it.

The door opened again.

"George! Where's Fred?" Molly asked.

Fred shrugged dismissively. "I need to talk to the both of you after dinner. It's about your futures."

Fred nodded silently.

Molly left. Fred knew that he was himself. Fred knew he wasn't George. He knew that twins weren't a single entity. They were two people. Two unrelated feelings. Two different ideas. Not one. They couldn't talk telepathically to each other, although it seemed they could.

They weren't The Weasley Twins, although they were. They weren't Fred with his twin George, although they were. They weren't George with his twin Fred, although they were. They weren't Fred and George, although they were. Fred was simply Fred. George was simply George. There was no "they" in this situation. There was Fred. And there was George.

"Hey." Fred looked up. There was Ginny. And Hermione in their bathingsuits and towels. Nobody thought of them as Ginny and Hermione. They were thought of, Fred supposed, as "the girls". Of course, this is slightly sexist however true it might be.

"Hello."  
"Fred…" They said in unison, but trailed off, focusing on his sweater.

"I'm George." Fred said quietly.

Hermione. And Ginny. Looked at Fred. Closely. Apparently not for the first time.

The first one to recover was Hermione. "Liar…" she said.

"What are you doing in George's sweater?" Ginny asked.

"I am George." He said, more loudly.

"Fred…" Ginny said.

"Please…" Hermione continued. "What's…"  
"Wrong?" Ginny finished.

"I am George." Fred said, a third time. "I know I'm not Fred." He continued quietly.

Ginny and Hermione looked at each other. Fred saw double. Is this what people saw when they looked at him? Two of the same person: finishing each other's sentences, the same look in their eyes. But these two…"the girls"…Ginny. And Hermione…didn't look alike. Somehow, they were still seen as a single entity. Fred backtracked…the look in their eyes.

Worry? Why? Why worry for 1/2 of a thing?

Sadness? How? How can you be sad for one piece in a puzzle?  
Love? He stopped himself. There was no reason for love. As a friend, brother, or otherwise. He was not an individual. Nobody could tell him apart from George. It was impossible. They were Identical Twins. Not Fred. And George. Not George. And Fred. They were the Weasley Twins. They were Gred and Forge.

He looked at Ginny. She had unshed tears in her eyes. Her mouth was opening to say something. His eyes darted to Hermione. A single tear rolled down her cheek as she shook her head no.

"You're Fred." Ginny said. "You're my brother….You are…" She trailed off, as Hermione picked up in a strangled voiced that accented the second tear escaping her eye.

"not George. Please, Fred. Please." She took a shaky step foreword as Ginny reached out her arm.

For Fred, it happened so slowly. And so quickly. He watched as They came foreword and hugged him simultaneously. It seemed as if it happened so fast because he couldn't move away in time, but in real time, it was heartbreakingly slow, as if they were unsure of themselves or what they were doing or how they seemed to move at the same time. Fred felt both shoulders get wet with tears, barely agnowledging that it was George's sweater that was taking the damage.

"What…"  
"…are you doing? What…"  
"…are you trying to prove? Why…"

"…are you doing this? You…"  
"…are…"  
"Fred." They finished simultaneously.

"You can't be…" Ginny.  
"…who you're not…" Hermione.

"You aren't…"

"…a single piece…you are…"  
"…who you are…an…"  
"…individual…"

"…you are unique…and…" Ginny looked her favorite sibling as she trailed off and Hermione finished off the speech with her feelings of her own, proving that she wasn't a single entity either.

"…and…and…I love you…for who you are…not…for George…"

Fred's eyes widened after the fifth word. He leaned back as Ginny and Hermione slumped against the wall next to George's bed, heaving huge sobs as they leaned against each other for support.

"we care…" Ginny started again

"…because we know…"  
"…because we understand…"  
"…because you…"  
"…are our favorite person…"

"…in the whole world…" Hermione.

Ginny looked up at Fred while wiping her eyes. "You were always my favorite." She said. "My favorite brother, my favorite person. Because you aren't George, although George is you. And because you care more for me than any other person ever could. I might go off and get married one day, but I'll always be your little sister, and you'll always be my favorite person. My brother, the one with the biggest heart of all my siblings."

Hermione wiped her eyes, and hugged Ginny. "I wish I had a brother" she stage whispered. "or two, so one could have a bigger heart." The tension was broken.

"We came up here…" Ginny started

"…to invite you to play…"

"…with us in…"

"…the lake…"

"…because…"

"…marco polo…"

"…is no fun with…"

"…only two people…"

"…but before…"

"…you answer…"

"…take off that ridiculous sweater." Ginny reprimanded. "it is so not you."  
"ugh, I know." Hermione said. "that is so five minutes ago." And the two girls laughed at their airhead impression.

"See ya at the lake" They said, not waiting for the answer. And walked out the door. While walking to the lake, Ginny said "I didn't know you had it in you."  
Hermione turned bright red. "I hope he forgot."

"Fat chance. We were just bawling our eyes out."

"That's why there IS a chance. Cause we were bawling." Hermione said jumping into the water.

"huh?" Ginny asked, slowly wading into the water.

"we're not in slytherin. We care whether someone's crying."

"that's why he was paying attention to what we said." Ginny argued.

"whatever." Hermione said. "I hope he forgot."

"and, like I said" Ginny finally got the nerve to dunk her head into the water after getting used to the freezing temperature. She stuck her head back up in front of Hermione. "fat chance."

"And it IS fat."

"No, it isn't."

"Well, my shy friend. Isn't it better for you to have gotten it over with, and not have to go through confessing again?" Ginny questioned, looking at the shore.

"Well, what's he gonna say?"

"I dunno, maybe … 'Polo'?" a voice questioned from behind Hermione.

"AAAH!" Hermione yelled, and turned around. Ginny was laughing hard, and Fred grinned.

"What?" Fred asked. "I don't wanna be Marco!"

"Hermione's Marco!" Ginny yelled, and tugged Fred into the lake by his big toe, and then quickly hiding behind her favorite sibling.

Hermione grumbled.

"Aww, come on 'Mione! You know you wanna!" Fred grinned.

Hermione glared at Ginny. She closed her eyes, and counted to 10.

she heard splashing every which way.  
"MARCO!" she yelled.

"Polo." Was said right in front of her, but before she could reach out, she felt a pair of lips on hers.

Ginny, up on shore, grinned. They were so cute together. AND (as an added bonus) she didn't have to listen to her favorite and third favorite people to grouse about "unrequited love" or some nonsense. She sighed, and skipped away to meet her second favorite person. The one with the jet black hair.

I can't own...so you can't sue... this story took sweat, blood, and tears...so please review...


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